Improvement in apparatus for evaporating saccharine juices



A. C. CLEMENS.

Eyaporating Pan. No. 28,349. I Patented May 22, 1860.

Witnesses= Inventor AM. PHDTO-LITHO.C0.N.V. (OSBORNES PROCEsB.)

DNTTnn STATES PATENT Orricn.

A. C. CLEMENS, OF GRAIN TO\VNSHIP, \VYANDOT COUNTY, OHIO.

IMPROVEMENT IN APPARATUS FOR EVAPORATING SACCHARINE JUICES.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 28,349, dated May 22,1.860.

0 all whom, it may concern:

Be it known that I, A. O. CLEMENs, of Grain Township, in the county ofVyandot and State of Ohio, have invented new and useful Improvements inSorghum-Evaporators; and I do hereby declare that the following is afull and complete description of the construction and operation of thesame, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, making part ofthis specification, in which Figure 1 is a top view. ,Fig. 2 is a sideview, and Fig. 3 is a longitudinal vertical section.

Like letters refer to like parts.

My invention consists in an improved con struction and arrangement ofthe firebox and smoke-pipes, in connection with a peculiar arrangementof the division of the pan.

In Figswl and 3, A represents the bottom of the pan, in Figs. 2 and 3thedifferent level of the several sections being shown at B. The sides ofthe pan 0 rise above the bottom some eight or ten inches.- Eachparticular section of the bottom B is horizontal when the pan standsupon a level surface. These sections upon the upper side are dividedinto two parts by the partitions D D D D, &c., which run crosswise thepan. The first division, D, is placed about one-third of the distancefrom the first offset B, leaving two-thirds of the space toward thesmoke-pipe at the end of the pan,and one-third of the space toward theoffset. This partition has a gate, E, in the middle, which can be openedor closed at pleasure, for the purpose of allowing the sorgojuice toflow into the second division. The partition D is placed upon the edgeof the first projection, and is provided with two gates, F, placed oneat each end, so as to cause the juice to flow in a circuitous course, asindicated by the arrows. These partitions are placed in regular orderupon the different levels, as seen at D" D D", D"has agate at each end,and D has a gate in the middle, &c., to the end of the series, the lastpartition, D, having a gate at each end, and is placed upon the edge ofthe offset B". The section A is provided with a spout, G, for drawingoff the concentrated sirnp. Immediately beneath each diiferent offset isa distinct firebox formed by the several partitions H H H H H, as seenin Figs. 3 and 4.. These partitions, forming the several fire-boxes, do

not extend across from side to side of the pan, but areinterrnpted atalternate ends, as shown in Fig. 4, and indicated by the dotted lines inFig. 1, the partition H being open at the end next the sn1oke-pipe-inother words, it does not extend entirely across to the farther wall ofthe fire-box. In like manner the partition II joins the farther wall ofthe firechamber, and terminates at little before reaching the front,giving a zigzag course to the draft from one to the other, as indicatedby arrows in Fig. 4. The opening, however, in the partition H isprovided with a damper, the handle of which is seen at I in Figs. 1 and4., by means of which the draft from H" H H can be sent up the smoke-pipe J; but by opening this damper and placing a cap, K, upon thetop of the smoke-pipe J all the draft can be sent up the smoke-pipe L.Uponthe front side of the fire-chamber (which includes all thefire-boxes) are four doors for the introduction of fuel. These doors areseen at MN 0 1? in Fig. 2. M opens into the fire-box, next to thesmoke-pipe L, the door N into the secondandthirdfire-boxes.ThedoorOopens into the fourth and fifth fire-boxes, and I opensintothelastfire-boxintheseries. Vhen the damper I is closed, the draft fromthe fire box at. 0 will pass around the back end of the partition H,around the front end of the partition H and into the smoke-pipe J; butif the smoke-pipe J is closed by the cap K, and the damper I opened ,thedraft will pass around the back end of the partition H in front of thepartition II, and at the back end of II into the smoke-pipe L. By meansof these doors upon the side of the fire-chamber a fire can be kindledin any of the divisions, and thus heat applied at any point along thewhole series of divisions in the pan.

By placing the sorgo juice, when in its crude state, .in section A andclosingthe gate E, heat can be applied under that part of the divisionoccupied by the juice, and the scum can here be removed. Now, byslightlydrawing the gate E, the juice, partly purified, will flow. into thedivision A, where a further purification and concentration will takeplace. The gates in the partitions D D may now be opened, a fire havingbeen kindled under this ofi'set, where still further concentration willtake place, and so on through the series; or the process can bediscontinued in the first three sections and conducted in the last threeby closing the damper I and removing the cap K from the smoke-pipe J.

In having the bottom of the pan composed of variable sections in regardto elevation, the juice, by being placedin the highest,will flow onwardto the lowest,without .the necessity of tipping the pan, thus obviatinga very incon venient practice where the whole of the bottom of the panis upon the same level; In my arrangement of the gates a flow of j uicecan be supplied tojust meet the demands of evapo ration. The scum thatrises in each separate division will float upon the surface, and notpass through the gate.

I do not broadly claim either making the bottom of the pan in sectionsplaced at different elevations, or the giving a circuitous flow to thecane-juice through the several divisions of the pan, or the giving acircuitous course to the draft; but I believe that my above-describedsugar-evaporator is new and an improvement upon those heretofore known.

Having thus fully described my invention. what I claim, and desire tosecure by Letters Patent of the United States, is

The construction and arrangement of the several fire chambers and thetwo smokepipes with the damper I, in combination with the peculiararrangement of the pan in different divisions at variable heights,substantially as set forth, for the purposes described. I

A. G. CLEMENS.

Witnesses:

WV. H. BURRIDGE, HENRY Vo'rII.

